4 bizarre driving myths which might be truly harmful, plus 1 that is simply silly

Some myths about automobiles and driving are fallacious, however largely innocent. For instance, some folks consider you want to heat up your engine on a chilly morning earlier than driving, or that holding your automotive idling for a couple of minutes makes use of much less gas than turning it on and off once more. Whereas these aren’t true, the one actual injury is to your pockets.

However different myths aren’t solely false — they are often downright harmful. Listed here are 4 of these myths, plus a bonus one which may not harm you, however may positively take a toll in your private sense of favor.

Maintain your palms on the ten and a couple of o’clock positions on the steering wheel

Improper for 2 causes, each harmful

Generations in the past, earlier than automobiles had energy steering and wanted bigger steering wheels, holding the steering wheel on the ’10 and a couple of’ place was taught as a result of it was believed to present extra leverage and higher management. This concept remains to be in vogue, maybe as a result of instructing somebody to drive is a generational exercise, and this concept was handed from mum or dad to little one over time.

Right this moment we consider that holding the wheel on the ‘3 and 9’ place offers better management, in addition to lowering the possibility of the palms crossing the middle line when turning the wheel. That is true, however there may be one other hazard lurking in your steering wheel itself.

Steering wheel airbags and the chance of degloving damage

Your automotive has an airbag in the course of the steering wheel that can deploy at over 180 mph throughout a crash, even at a reasonable pace. Whereas it may possibly save your life, it may possibly additionally trigger extreme damage if it hits you throughout deployment. When your palms are at 10 and a couple of, they, and your forearms, are nearer to the middle of the wheel than the three and 9 place. This will get worse if the collision occurs when you are turning the wheel.

The accidents to your palms or forearms are usually referred to as degloving, and please do not google this. You’ll grow to be a pedestrian. Some say even the ‘3 and 9’ place is simply too harmful, and we must always maintain the wheel on the ‘8 and 4’ place. This, nonetheless, offers much less management, so stick with the ‘3 and 9,’ however hold your thumbs on high of the wheel.

Utilizing your telephone hands-free whereas driving is secure

Simply because it is authorized would not make it secure

Credit score: Volkswagen

Some folks can multitask, and a few can not. However even the best multitaskers meet their match utilizing a mobile phone throughout driving, particularly for texting. It was shortly declared unlawful to take action, and shortly after, all of us had voice-control, hands-free freedom to name and text while we were driving. In most locations, that is authorized.

However legality doesn’t make a factor secure. Smoking is authorized, rock-climbing is authorized, and petting somebody’s reactive canine can also be authorized. When you’re legally having a telephone dialog or texting whereas driving, your consideration is split between watching the street and automobiles round you, and the telephone. Whole hands-free security is a fable.

Driving below the pace restrict on the freeway is safer

Do not be that particular person

We all know the decrease the pace throughout a collision, the much less extreme the implications. So there’s a fable that the slower you drive, particularly on a freeway, the safer you might be. This idea would maintain in case you had been the one automotive on the freeway, however you by no means are, and that’s the place the issue is available in.

When everybody on the freeway goes at 55 mph, the relative place between automobiles is static. No person will get nearer to the automotive in entrance, and the automotive behind will hold its distance. Whenever you immediately introduce one automotive that drives at 45 mph, the static security is disturbed. Automobiles desirous to drive at 55 mph need to brake for the slower automotive, which causes a series response behind them. Drivers will begin taking possibilities to get across the sluggish automotive, inflicting much more upheaval.

And also you, considering you might be secure at 45 mph, shall be on the middle of this flurry of chaos, and due to this fact extra more likely to be concerned in any accident you trigger by driving slower than the remaining. The identical precept applies to those that stick with the pace restrict within the quick lane.

4WD or AWD at all times retains you secure

By no means an alternative choice to widespread sense

Credit score: Honda

A four-wheel-drive (FWD) automobile has the power to traverse tough, uneven, slippery, or very steep terrain. Extra automobiles as we speak have all-wheel-drive (AWD), which supplies traction to all 4 wheels completely or when the street situations require extra grip. This results in a false sense of safety, and that’s very harmful. These driving 4WDs suppose they will drive wherever, and people with AWD more and more consider it is the identical as 4WD, and to allow them to additionally drive wherever.

Whereas each these methods enhance the quantity of traction on slippery or uneven surfaces, neither will prevent in case you hit an icy patch on a nook, or runoff water on the freeway. The parable is that double the grip will at all times hold you secure, whereas the fact is that the one approach to hold your self secure is to at all times use your widespread sense.

Driving a crimson automotive prices extra

Not harmful, however a fable that has to go

Credit score: Toyota

Insurance coverage on a crimson automotive prices greater than every other coloration. Cops will pull you over simply because your automotive is crimson. Why? As a result of many quick automobiles are crimson. Ferraris are often crimson, as are many Porsches and Mustangs. So will shopping for a crimson Corolla will set you aside as a street demon within the eyes of the insurance coverage business, in addition to the police?

Not true. Your insurance rate shouldn’t be decided by the colour of your automotive, however by elements like automotive make, mannequin, engine measurement, and worth. The final value of repairing this sort of automotive, and its statistical security document additionally come into play. Some automobiles usually tend to be stolen, and insurers may even have a look at the age and driving document of the driving force.

Cops care much less in regards to the coloration of your automotive than the way you drive it. In case you are rushing or weaving, or soar a crimson mild, they may pull you over no matter coloration automotive you might be in.